To Save You
by Pegelia Von Borrador
Summary: When ten-year-old Lin is kidnapped by a criminal earthbender, Toph will stop at nothing to bring her baby girl home. Set between A:TLA and LoK. Kataang, minor Tokka.
1. Prologue: Lin

**Chapter One - Prologue: Lin**

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When I was a little girl growing up in Republic City, people always told me my mom was the greatest earth bender in the world. I never doubted them. I especially never doubted her. When we went places, me clutching to her hand and looking around with wide eyes, everyone bowed and called greetings to Toph Beifong, the chief of police. I remember once asking her what her job was, and she swung me up and nestled me on her hip. Then she leaned in and whispered in my ear,

"Mama's job is to kick everybody's ass."

We laughed together and she threw me up in the air. Even though she was blind, she somehow never let me fall. I thought she would never let me fall. When I had nightmares I would crawl into her room and wake her up, all of her bushy hair messy with sleep. Then she would rock me, call me her little badgermole, and sing me lullabyes from her homeland in the Earth Kingdom. She would stroke my face a lot, running her calloused fingers over my nose, my eyes, my lips. She told me that even though she couldn't see me with her eyes, she could see me with her hands, and she told me I was the most beautiful girl in the world.

But she also taught me how to defend myself. One day, when I was five or so, I waited outside after school sobbing on the curb, waiting for Uncle Aang to come pick me up on Appa. He was shocked at my sorrow and tried to get me to tell him what happened, but I only wanted to talk to my mom. He dropped me off at our house, where my mom was just getting home from a meeting. She was pulling her hair out of its bun and letting it fall down her back, still not changed out of her metal police uniform. She turned when she heard my footsteps.

"Hey, Lin. How was your day, sweetie?"

Her face changed when she heard my sobs, and she dropped to her knees as I ran to her. "Baby, what's wrong? What happened?"

"Mama, the boys were picking on me," I cried. "They were so mean to me…and, and…they hit me! Mama, your job is to kick everybody's ass! Can you go beat them up for me?"

I had never seen her face so sad. She stroked my cheek and sighed. "No, baby, I can't. I want to. But I can't."

"What?" I said, shocked.

"I could go kick their asses, but then they wouldn't learn to fear you, only me. It's time for me to teach you how to defend yourself. You know how you can do magic with the rocks? Make them move?"

I nodded.

"That's called earthbending. Your mama is very good at it. And now I'm going to teach you how to be very good at it."

And that day, she began teaching me how to defend myself with earthbending. We moved through the positions, and she adjusted my arms and legs, teaching me to be strong and steady like a rock. I moved rock after rock, and her smile got wider and wider.

Next week, I came home on Appa again, absolutely elated. Mom was waiting for me outside the house, smiling up at me and Aang.

"Mama, Mama!" I cried, running into her arms. She picked me up. "The boys were mean to me again, and I used my bending to fight them off! I'm just like you, Mama, I kicked everybody's ass!"

She roared with laughter and swung me around. "That's my little badgermole! I'm so proud of you, baby!"

"You've got quite the daughter there, Toph," Aang said with a smile.

"Yes, I do," she said, stroking my hair, and I could feel the pride in her voice.

"But Mama," I said, looking into her unseeing eyes, "what happens if there's a bully that's too big for me to fight off?"

"I highly doubt there will ever be a bully you can't fight off, baby," she said with a chuckle. "But if that ever happens, then you just call your mama. And I will always be there to protect you. Always."

I buried my face in her shoulder and smiled. I believed her. I truly believed her.

It wasn't until years later that I did meet a bully who was too big for me to fight off. I called for my mama, but she couldn't hear me. Through the long ordeal that happened, I never doubted that my mama would come and rescue me. I never lost hope.

And I never stopped believing in my mama.

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**Hello, and thank you for reading! I'm so excited to write this story; this is my first Avatar fanfic, so I hope I do it right! As mentioned in the summary, this is set between ATLA and LoK, but I'm putting it in the ATLA section because it involves the original Gaang. Most of the chapters will be from Toph's point of view, but this prologue is told from ten-year-old Lin's perspective. Next chapter will come up soon! Please review and tell me what you think :) - PVB**


	2. Broken

**Chapter Two - Broken**

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The day that Lin vanished started off pretty normal. I was out of the house by five, put a few hours in at the station, and then came home to take her to school. Even though she was ten, she still hated waking up, and I heard her yawning all the way to school. When I touched her face, her eyes were soft and sleepy.

"Better wake up, hun," I said. "You've got a whole day ahead of you."

"Can I just not do my homework tonight?" She mumbled.

"And fail your classes? I don't think so. You know that's not tolerated in my house."

"I know," she sighed. "You're so crazy sometimes."

I rolled my eyes. She was at such a difficult age. "Well, can Mama kiss you goodbye?"

"Ugh, Mom, I'm ten years old, I don't want my mom kissing me goodbye!"

"Well, I'm thirty, so I win." I tapped my heel on the ground and before she knew it, a rock had pushed her into me. I bundled her up in my arms and kissed her cheek.

"There's my little badgermole," I said.

"_Mom_!" She whined, managing to break away from me. "All the kids are staring."

"Can't see, don't care." I smiled at her. "Have a great day, sweetie!"

"Bye, Mom," she said, and I heard her walking away. I waited until she was past the doors, and then turned around and headed back into the station.

"Chief Beifong, you've got a couple of new messages," the secretary said as soon as I entered.

"From who?"

"One from Councilman Hadwynn, one from your mother…" I groaned. "And one from Lady Katara."

"Katara?" I said, perking up.

"Yes, she says she's back in town and wants to know if you'd meet her for lunch on Air Temple Island."

"Call her back and say I'll be there." The thought of seeing Katara again propelled me through my morning of paperwork. She'd been in the South Pole for a few months with the kids, teaching healing and waterbending and visiting her parents. I smiled at the thought of how excited Lin would be that Tenzin was back.

Katara was waiting for me when I arrived on the island. I could tell from the whooshing sounds that she was wearing a soft, flowy dress – ten bucks it was blue.

"Toph!" She called out, running down the stairs to meet me. "Long time, no see!"

"Hey girl," I said, picking her up in a hug. She smelled like the ocean. "How you been, Sugar Queen?"

"Fantastic. I got the cooks to make Earth Kingdom food, just for you."

"Ah, girl, you know how to treat me right," I said with a smile, and we headed inside.

I always loved being at the air temple. It was so quiet that it was easy for me to hear everything. I could hear Katara gently rustle her skirts, the sound of plates clicking together, even the way that she moved her nose back and forth like she was trying to fight off a sneeze.

"So," I said, taking a big bite out of an apple, "how was the South Pole?"

"Nice and cold," she said, "just the way I like it. We've got a pretty fair amount of waterbenders down there, it's pretty exciting. Except…" I heard her sigh. "My gran-gran died."

"Oh, Katara." I reached across and found her hand. "I'm really sorry, babe."

"It's okay." I heard her shake her head. "She died in her sleep, it wasn't so bad. Pakku is devastated though. Sokka came down for the funeral, it was great, the kids hadn't seen him for a few months."

My stomach clenched a little. I hadn't thought about Sokka in a while. "How's he doing? There hasn't been a Council meeting in a while, so I haven't had reason to see him."

"Oh, he's doing okay. Suki moved back to Kyoshi Island to train the next group of warriors, so he's kinda lonely."

I said nothing, chewing on my lip. Katara, sharp little bitch that she was, said,

"They've been on the rocks for a while. You might have a chance now."

"Oh, God, Katara." I waved my hand. "Like I've got time to date. Plus, I've got Lin. I've never dated since her father, so I'm not sure how she would feel about a guy in my life."

Katara was silent, and I heard her giggle a little. Confused, I said, "What's so funny?"

"Oh, nothing…"

"Oh, no, I know what's going on." I broke into a smile and started to turn my head around. "Where are you, you little lemur?"

A warm body dropped from the sky and into my lap, and I laughed out loud as Tenzin threw his hands around my neck and yelled, "Hi, Auntie Toph!"

"You little monster!" I said. "How long have you been hovering over me?"

"Long enough to know you like Uncle Sokka!"

I tapped the ground and Katara's chair went flying backwards with a scream. "I said no such thing," I said calmly. "Only that for your uncle and I to date would be a very bad idea."

"I think it's a great idea," came a new voice, and two other little bodies came into the room. "Uncle Sokka talks about you all the time!"

I chose to ignore her comment, even though it made me blush, and said, "Hey, Kya, Bumi! Are you guys glad to be back?"

"Yeah, it's great to see all the bison again, and – "

"Where's Lin?" Tenzin asked immediately. Katara chuckled.

"At school, where you should be," she said, as she got back to her feet.

"The guards told us Auntie Toph was here," Kya said. "Well, where is Lin, I want to play with her!"

"You can come over after school, and only after her homework is done."

"Auntie Toph, you're such a _loser_," Bumi whined.

"Yeah, Toph, lighten up," Katara said.

"Well, that's weird, coming from you," I said, setting Tenzin down. "My daughter's not gonna be a dumbass like your brother."

"Language!" Katara gasped, and the three kids descended into giggles.

"What? It's healthy for the kids to know a good insult. My daughter can smack talk her way through the Republic City mafia."

I heard Katara rub her eyes. "Jesus, Toph, I have no idea what to do with you."

"Love me," I said roguishly. At that moment, the sound of Appa's roar came from outside.

"Daddy's home!" The kids said, all running outside.

"That's early," Katara said, standing up with me. "He was supposed to be meeting with the Council all day today."

"Maybe he heard I was here too."

Aang's deep voice came from the courtyard, drowning out his kids' frantic talking – "Kids, I need to talk to your Auntie Toph, is she here?"

"Hell yeah, Twinkle Toes," I called out. "Come to join the Toph-is-awesome party?"

"Toph, listen to me," he said, his voice serious. "There was an incident at your daughter's school."

"What do you mean?" I said, immediately on edge.

"I mean, someone broke in."

"What? Is everyone okay? Is Lin okay?" My heart stopped beating.

"Everyone else is fine. The man…he came in and he…" I could hear Aang struggling to find the words, and every second stretched out my suddenly frozen heart. "He kidnapped Lin. It looked like he was only after her."

I blinked a few times and then said, "Well, did you guys find him?"

"No, Toph," he said. "We can't find him or Lin anywhere."

The kids were completely silent as I felt my world tumbling down. Suddenly the blackness that was all I could see was oppressing me, pushing against my useless eyes and drowning through my nose. I reached out blindly, and Katara ran over and held me up.

"Somebody has taken my _daughter_?" I whispered.

"Toph, I'm so sorry," Aang said. "We're going to do everything we can to find her."

I turned my useless eyes towards Katara, feeling like she would understand the panic that was overtaking me. "This can't…I mean…Katara, my whole world is dark," I said desperately. "My whole world is dark, but Lin is my light. I can't see shit, but when I hear her voice, it's like I can see. And she's the most beautiful color in the world."

Katara didn't say anything. But she held me up, her strong arms supporting me until I could find my footing again.

After a few moments of deep breaths, I finally stood up and straightened out my metal dress.

"Don't worry, we're gonna get her back," Aang said.

"Damn straight," I grunted. "Whatever idiot took my baby girl is about to face the wrath of the most powerful earth bender in the world. He will be _rubble_ by the time I'm done with him."

There was a slight pause, and then Tenzin said quietly,

"You tell 'em, Auntie Toph."

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**Thanks for reading guys! Next chapter will be up soon :) All my lovin - PVB**


	3. Bleeding

**Chapter Three - Bleeding**

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The news that the police chief's daughter had gone missing spread like wildfire around Republic City. Suddenly people were asking me if I was okay, treating me like I was going to snap. Even worse, for some reason people found it ironic that the blind woman had lost her daughter, and they kept asking me if I needed help 'looking' for her. I sent more than one person flying through the windows, screaming after them, "As if I don't know my own daughter's heartbeat or footsteps!"

But they had a point. We couldn't find Lin anywhere. It was a perfect crime. He swept in, picked her up, and swept back out. The only description of him was of a mixed race man wearing all black. Other than that, we only had that he drove a black car away from the scene. There was nothing else.

I combed the sewers, the alleys, the underground tunnels beneath the city. Aang took the skies, and Katara dove into the bay to see if she could find anything there. We even reached out to Zuko, to see if he'd heard anything in the Fire Nation. But there was nothing. No frantic, scared heart of a ten year old girl without her mother for the first time.

I was slowly losing my mind. My lieutenants had to take over my police chief duties while I feverishly searched for my daughter. The empty house at night grated on my ears like nails on a chalkboard. No pitter-patter of feet, no splash of ink on paper, no softly thudding heartbeat while she slept. At first I stayed at home alone, but it became too much for me, waiting for her to come join me while I practiced my metalbending in the backyard. Eventually I stopped going home at all, and just roamed the streets, my feet straining for any sounds of her footsteps, or any footsteps at all. I was liable to attack anybody.

That's why, when I first heard a soft voice saying my name one night, that I whipped around with my cables drawn and roared, "Who's there?"

"Toph, it's me! It's Sokka."

I froze and drew my cables in. Sokka? What was he doing here?

He slowly stepped forward. His body was a lot bigger from when we were kids, and I had to get used to his new footsteps, not those of his fifteen-year-old self. "Toph, babe, it's just me."

Suddenly I was on edge again. "Sokka, don't you _dare_ call me babe."

"Sorry, Toph, sorry! I'm just…Katara sent me to find you."

"Why?" I snapped.

"She went to visit you at home and you weren't there. We're worried about you."

"You should be worried about my daughter, not me!"

"We're worried sick about Lin, too. I've been persuading the Council to enforce maximum security lockdowns so he can't leave the city, and to conduct extensive searches of the surrounding area." I blinked. I didn't know that. "But you're not going to save your daughter if you run yourself ragged."

"Maybe I'll find her out here," I said, noting the touch of desperation in my voice. "Maybe she's just in one of these alleys, and I need to find her."

"Toph, I…you've got to stop. Don't you know you're bleeding?"

"What? I'm not bleeding."

"Yes, you are, feel your upper left arm. You must've been cut running around here."

I reached up and sure enough, my hand came back sticky and wet. I felt around and hissed when my fingers found a shallow cut spanning the length of my arm.

"Let's go back to the island," Sokka said, his voice gentle. "Katara can heal you up in a jiffy. And you can get a good night's rest. I know how much you love the quiet there."

I said nothing, and finally he added, "The kids are worried about you. Every night they say their prayers for Lin _and_ Auntie Toph."

"Yeah, well, I bet my daughter is worried too!" I screamed, my voice piercing the night. Sokka took a step back. "My only child is out there somewhere without me, and she could be beaten, she could be abused, she could be – she could be – I mean, she could be _dead_, Sokka! And if she's not, then she's crying in the corner, wondering where her mama is, and I'm not there! I told her I'd always be there! I SWORE I WOULD ALWAYS BE THERE!"

And suddenly I was falling, my exhaustion getting the better of me, and Sokka ran forward to keep me from hitting the street. I hated crying, but I couldn't stop myself from letting a few tears leak as I tried not to show how much I needed him.

"Hey, now, it's gonna be okay," he said, his voice falling over me like a waterfall. "You're the Blind Bandit, remember? Nothing's going to stop you. You're going to get your baby back."

My feet were off the street, and suddenly my world solely consisted of Sokka's chest in front of me, breathing in and out. I started panicking, my breath quick and shallow, painful memories resurfacing of my childhood, filled with screaming and crying as I struggled to understand this cold, dark world that I had been born into. I learned earthbending to see, but it wasn't until I had Lin that I understood what it meant to truly know beauty. And without her, this world was a husk, a black pulsing husk that I was drowning in.

"I've never seen you this scared before," Sokka said softly.

"I was this scared when I found out I was pregnant with her," I replied, trying to get my breath under me.

Sokka sensed my panic and picked me up easily, my still small body fitting perfectly in his arms. We began to walk, and I allowed myself to lean my head against his chest. "Distract yourself," he said. "Tell me about when you found out you were pregnant. I never did hear the whole story."

In spite of the situation, I managed to crack a smile. "Yeah, I guess you didn't see me until I was pretty far along. Well, it is a pretty good story…"

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**Hey guys! Sorry for the boringness of the chapter, but next chapter is my favorite - my take on how Toph had Lin. Thank you all so much for your support! Though there's been a lot of follows and faves (which are awesome), there haven't been many reviews. Please review! They really help me out :) y'all are the best! Avatar lovin' - PVB**


	4. Beautiful

**Chapter Four - Beautiful**

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When I was twenty, I was on top of the world.

I had recently been promoted to Chief of Police after my metalbending students and I had taken down a notorious crime boss. Now that we were in charge, crime was at an all-time low, and they were already talking about erecting a statue of me above the jail. I was the most well-connected person in Republic City, if not the four nations. I was friends with the Avatar, his wife, the head Councilman, the Fire Lord, and the Earth King. I had a fantastic house with all-dirt floors and plenty of rocks in the backyard to smash around.

Most importantly, I was in love.

I'd struck up a romance with a guy named Maru, a man from my home district of Gaolin who had come to Republic City to learn metalbending from me. After he graduated and became one of my officers, we started dating. He was funny, casual and very strong – my type of guy. We had an easy-going romance that was not impacted by the fact that I was his boss. At work, we kept out of each other's way. At night…we couldn't keep our hands off each other.

But then everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked.

No, seriously, I'm kidding. Everything changed when I got pregnant, duh.

It was both a blessing and a curse that my seismic sense reached to my own body as well. Because one morning I woke up and realized that there were two heartbeats inside of me.

At first I thought it was a dream. I bolted out of bed, hair flying everywhere, and frantically planted my feet on the floor. Then I stayed still and felt.

There it was, tiny and fast – a heartbeat, somewhere deep inside of me. Not the slow, thudding heartbeat that I knew was mine. This was a different heartbeat, deep within my private parts. I stayed shock still for a few moments, hardly breathing.

Holy fuck. I was pregnant.

Without even doing my hair, I threw on the first set of clothes I could find and stormed out of the house. Since it was Saturday morning, Maru would be at home. I was very glad that I couldn't see anybody as I sped through the streets, since at that time I could count on one hand the number of people who had ever seen me with my hair down, and I imagine the looks on people's faces would be pretty epic. When I got to Maru's house, I didn't bother with knocking. I ripped open the metal doors and headed straight for his bedroom.

"MARU!" I screamed.

He bolted out of bed. "Toph? What the hell are you doing here? Is something wrong?"

"Yes, something's wrong, were you using protection the last time we had sex?"

"I – what – yes, of course, I was."

"You're lying," I growled. "You didn't."

"Well, I mean – "

"TELL THE TRUTH!"

"Alright, I didn't put one on, because I mean – well, you couldn't see, could you? I thought, just one time – "

"So you're telling me," I was so mad the ground was shaking, "that you took advantage of my _blindness_ so you could have a good _fuck_?"

"Well, yeah, I mean, what does it matter?"

"What does it matter?" I screamed. "I'm PREGNANT, you dipshit!"

I heard his heart stop. "_What_?"

"You – heard – me," I growled.

"Oh, my God… Toph…I can't – "

"You can't what? Believe it? Yeah, me neither. But here we are."

"How do you know? Are you sure?"

"First you knock me up, and now you doubt my earthbending abilities? Yes, I'm sure, you asshole. There's a brand new heartbeat inside of me, and it is entirely YOUR FAULT! So you better be prepared to raise this baby with me, cause it is sure as fuck your responsibility too."

"Wait, we don't have to raise it," he said, his tone of voice soft and placating. "There are ways – I mean…we could always get rid of it."

Suddenly, instinctively, my hands went to my mercifully flat abdomen. "You mean – kill it? I don't…I mean…I don't want it, but it is my baby." I drew myself up. "And I'm gonna raise this baby right, not like the way my stupid parents raised me."

"Well," he said, getting out of bed, "you can sure as hell raise this baby right. But I'm out."

"What?" Suddenly it felt like my stomach felt out of my body and into my feet.

"You heard me. I'm quitting the police on Monday and moving back to Gaolin. No way I'm staying with your crazy ass and some baby."

"But it's your baby too!" I cried. "It's your responsibility. You don't want this baby to grow up without a father!"

"Honestly, I really don't care," he said. "You're a cool girl, Toph, but no way am I sticking around for a baby. This was not what I signed up for. Now you've got to get out of my house."

For a moment, I hung there, speechless. Surely this wasn't happening. Surely I, Toph Beifong, was not getting left to raise a baby on my own. This could not be happening.

"Get out of my house," Maru said again.

I took a deep breath and then smiled. I got in my horse stance, planting my feet on the ground and balling my hands into fists.

"Toph, what are you – "

I pulled my hands down into my abdomen, and in one fell swoop, his entire house came crashing down, walls tumbling down and filling my eyes with dust. I heard him coughing, and then there was a rush of wind as the outside weather suddenly filled the room, making him shiver.

"Now there's no house to get out of," I said with a smile. "Goodbye, asshole."

And I expertly stepped over the rubble and walked away.

A few blocks away and the reality of the situation slowly sunk in. I was young, single and pregnant. I had a very high profile job where I was expected to deal with the worst criminals in Republic City. I was not married, and I had never even considered having kids. What the _fuck_.

I almost cried. And I hated crying. The only person I ever really cried around anymore was Katara.

Katara! That was it! I could go to her and just hang out. She didn't have to know I was pregnant; just being with her would calm me down. Perfect.

I headed for Air Temple Island immediately.

But unfortunately for me, Katara always was more intelligent than I gave her credit for. I waited in the foyer while the guards went to get her. She froze when she walked outside and saw me. If my hair didn't give me away, then apparently my face did.

She marched straight up to me, pulling water out of her water skin, and placed her watery hands right on my stomach.

"Hey!" I barked. "What are you doing?"

She pulled away and gave me what I could only assume was a furious glare. "Toph! You're pregnant!"

"I – yeah, how did you know?"

"I've known you for years, I think I can figure out when you get pregnant," she said, still running her hand over my abdomen. "You're about a month along."

"A month?" I said. "I didn't know that. I – uh – how long do pregnancies last?"

She stopped moving her hands and said, "Toph, you really don't know?"

"No!" I said, blushing. "My parents never really told me. I don't think – I mean, I don't think they ever thought I would get married, because I was blind."

"Oh," Katara said, her voice suddenly sad. "Well, they were wrong. I'm assuming it's Maru's?"

"Yeah," I said, and the events of this morning came back to me. "But he's…not really gonna be a factor from here on out. He said he didn't want anything to do with me."

"Oh, Toph," she said, placing a hand on my arm. "I'm so sorry."

I brushed her off. "I mean, I figured I'd be doing most of the work myself anyway, but…"

My voice trailed off as my feet picked up on something I hadn't noticed before.

"Katara!" I said. "There's a heartbeat inside of you too!"

She laughed. "Yeah, silly. I'm pregnant too. A few months farther than you though. Little Tenzin is six months along."

"I can't believe I hadn't noticed before," I said, my feet picking up on how much larger she was now.

"It's okay, you've been busy with your job, we haven't seen each other in a few months."

A feeling of relief washed over me. Katara had not only done this before, but she was going through it right now. Suddenly, just as always, Katara would be like my mother, picking up all the pieces that my real mother had left behind.

My hand reached out automatically, but I pulled it back.

"Yes?" She said, her voice soft and happy.

"Can I – I mean – "

She laughed, grabbed my hand, and placed it on her stomach. Through the soft fabric, I felt the taut skin of her stomach, stretching over something warm and small. After a moment, there was a sudden nudge on my hand.

I looked up, forgetting for a moment that I was blind, and my blank eyes searched her face for something, some way to explain what was happening to her, what would be happening to me.

She understood, and she pulled me into a hug. She stroked my hair and let my tears fall, without trying to take away my pride. But I let myself sink, my face falling into her soft hair, and allowed myself to be absolutely, completely, utterly terrified.

"You're going to be an amazing mother, Toph," she whispered.

That only made me cry all the more.

After a calming lunch at Katara's and some good snuggling from the kids, I made her swear not to tell Sokka and headed back home. On Monday I went back to work, where I found Maru's resignation letter sitting on my desk. I wasn't surprised, but I still sat for a few moments to process. I really was all alone now.

I was determined not to let anybody know until I was ready to tell them, but unfortunately, I was teaching seismic sense that very same day.

"Now," I said, standing in front of the training ground, "seismic sense is one of the keys of successful earthbending. Unlike other bending disciplines, we do not need to see in order to fight. Using the ground beneath us, we can reach out and sense where our opponent is, what they are about to do, and even when they are about to attack us. Begin your training today by reaching out with your earthbending to see this room. See the people beside you, the walls, the chairs, even the – "

"Chief Beifong!" One of the young lieutenants called out.

"Yes, Lieutenant Higurashi?"

"Um, I think I got it."

"Congratulations. No speaking out of turn. Now, as I was saying – "

"No, I mean, I can see you."

Oh, shit. I knew what he was about to say.

"And I can see that you're pregnant."

The room fell dead silent as a hundred faces turned towards me. I stood up straight, tried to disguise my blush, and said,

"Yeah, and what about it?"

"I mean – you can't – what about work?"

"What about it?" I repeated. "You think I can't be the police chief while I'm pregnant? You think I'm not capable of protecting this city when I'm a mother? If you really think so, you have a lot to learn about me, Lieutenant. Now, if anyone else has a problem with me being pregnant, please step up and I will show you that I can still kick your ass even with a baby inside of me."

The room was silent. I cleared my throat and said,

"Now, as I was saying…"

The months passed, and not another word was said about my pregnancy. I continued to destroy crime bosses and gangs with ruthless efficiency, thanking God for my blindness as it allowed me to ignore what I assumed were startled glances in my direction as I started to show. I bent my metal suit so it would protect my growing belly and refused to speak about it, except to Katara and Aang. The nights when I couldn't be alone I spent at Air Temple Island, desperately having Katara explain to me again and again what childbirth felt like and that my baby kicking wasn't a bad thing. The nights when I needed to be alone, I spent at my house, methodically preparing for my impending childbirth and feeling my child move inside of me. I had sent a quick note to my parents explaining the situation, and as usual they demanded that I move back home. I refused, knowing that if I would do one thing right by my baby, I would keep him or her away from my parents' judgmental house as long as I could.

When I was four months pregnant, I held Katara's hand as she gave birth to Tenzin, and her screams and cries filled me with pure terror. When finally the baby was born, I heard her and Aang's sighs of relief, and the joy in her voice when she described her baby to me, knowing I couldn't see the smile on her face. She let me hold him, and I ran my fingers over his soft skin. He seemed so fragile, so easy to break.

"Katara," I said, my voice trembling, "I don't mean to be the downer here, but how do you do this? How can you be so calm?"

She laughed. "Well, dear, the only thing I can say is that you'll understand when you have one of your own. Everything changes."

Aang walked over and placed his hands on my shoulders. "Come on, Sifu Toph, if there's anyone that can take care of a baby, it's you."

He picked his son up and kissed his tiny nose. "Tenzin and your little one will be best friends."

I slowly reached a hand down to my stomach. There was a small but noticeable bump between my hips, and it scared me.

"Don't worry, Auntie Toph," Little Kya said. "You're gonna be such a good mommy."

I managed to smile at her. "And you're gonna be a great cousin, sweetie."

We had sent a messenger hawk to Zuko in the Fire Nation telling him about me, and he and Mai and the kids sent back their congratulations. By the time I was seven months along, the only person who didn't know was Sokka. I had done a fantastic job of completely avoiding him. I sent my lieutenants to Council meetings and had ignored all of his messages. But he was a stubborn little asshole.

"Chief Beifong," my secretary said, as I sat in my office one day, "Councilman Sokka is here to see you."

"Tell him I'm not here."

"He said he knows you're here, he heard your voice."

"Yeah, well, tell him I'm in a meeting."

"Chief Beifong – "

"Did I stutter? Tell him I can't see him."

The secretary left, and I let my head drop on my desk. Goddamn it. I would have to tell him eventually. How long could I keep this up?

As long as I needed, I decided. I could not let Sokka know about this. Just the thought of what he would say made my stomach curl.

However, just as I decided this, the door banged open.

"Toph, I know you've been avoiding me, but I'm seriously worried about you, I don't know what's wrong, and we need to talk – "

His voice stopped as well as his footsteps. Apparently my new chubby face and huge boobs were enough to clue him in.

"Toph, what's going on - ?"

I sighed and slowly got to my feet. I thanked God I couldn't see his face as he got a look at my full pregnant belly. The blush that spread across my cheeks made it feel like my face was on fire.

He didn't speak for a solid minute. When he did, his voice was stunned. "Toph…oh, my God…you're _pregnant_."

"Thank you for stating the obvious," I drawled.

"Oh, my God…who is the father?"

"Doesn't matter," I said. "He's not around."

"Oh, Toph…why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't want you thinking you had to take care of me. I know you, Sokka."

"Does everyone else know?"

"Basically, yeah." I grinned sheepishly.

He sighed and I felt him lean against the door. "Well, old friend, I'm happy for you. And though I know you'll hate me for it, I just want you to know Suki and I will be here for you, no matter what."

For some reason I didn't hate him for it. Maybe it was the hormones, but I said, "Thanks, Snoozles."

"Wait, you're not mad?"

"Not yet. Get mushy on me again and I can't guarantee anything."

"Wait, can you name the baby after me? Or Momo? Momo Beifong has a great ring to it – "

"Goodbye, Sokka," I said, pushing him out of the office and closing the door. When I heard his footsteps down the hall, I allowed myself to sink to the floor, my back against the wall. I put my hands on my stomach and smiled. Thank God. Sokka didn't care that he wasn't the father.

Why should I care that he wasn't the father? It's not like I cared about him anyway. I had a crush on him when we were kids, but I mean, now we were just friends –

I slammed my head against the wall. Quit lying to yourself, bitch. Who are you kidding.

I whispered to my tummy, "I love you no matter what, but sometimes I wish you were his."

But the baby wasn't. I had to accept the reality of the situation. I had placed my trust in an idiot, and now I was stuck with his baby. No, not his baby. _My_ baby.

I sighed, rubbed my raw eyes, and struggled back to my feet.

The last few months of my pregnancy came with lots of vomiting, uncomfortable nights of no sleep, and increasingly worried voices from my minions as I got bigger and bigger. I hit forty weeks and kept going, with no sign that the baby was going to come at all. I could barely move around my office and had to conclude that this baby was going to be ridiculously huge.

Of course, I had to be at work when it happened. I was supervising the moving of a very dangerous criminal into prison when suddenly it felt like I had peed my pants. Before I could process what happened, a uterine lightning bolt hit, and I doubled over, gasping.

"Chief Beifong!" One of my lieutenants said.

I breathed through the pain, one hand on my stomach. Oh no, not now, not now, oh my God…

"Looks like you're about to pop, little lady," the criminal sneered.

I snapped my head up and smacked the ground with my foot. A boulder shot up from the ground and slammed him right in the nuts. As he fell to the ground screaming, I managed to get myself up and sought out Lieutenant Liu, one of the few female lieutenants I had.

"What is it, Chief?" She asked. Seeing my pain, she lowered her voice and asked, "Is it the baby?"

I nodded. "Take me outside. Then call Avatar Aang. He should be in a Council meeting today. I need to get to Katara."

She nodded and grabbed my hand to lead me out. As I walked unsteadily behind her, one hand stayed planted on my stomach. It was finally time. Oh, my God, it was finally time.

By the time I got to Air Temple Island on Appa, Katara was there and ready. So was, much to my dismay, Sokka.

"Alright, baby, come on inside," she said, steadying me with her touch. I could hear that she was wearing a loose shirt and pair of pants. "I've got the kids with the nurse, it's just us."

"We won't leave you alone, Toph," Aang said, and I felt Sokka nod his head behind me. I didn't have time to say anything, because another contraction hit hard and fast, and I grabbed Katara's hand and started to groan.

"Okay, we gotta hurry. Sokka, grab her and let's go." Before I could protest, Sokka swept me up and we hustled inside. I didn't know where we were going, but he set me down on a soft bed, and Katara started tugging at my metal police uniform.

"Toph, I gotta get your dress off, you can't give birth in that."

Using all my strength, I sent the dress flying off of me, blushing at the thought of Aang and Sokka seeing my gigantic boobs. Thankfully, Katara had a soft robe ready that she threw over my shoulders. Then she pushed my legs up and settled down at the foot of the bed.

"Toph, I'm gonna take a look inside you, okay?"

"Wait, Katara, do you have to, I mean – "

"Yes, dear, I gotta see how much time we have left." As I threw my head back on the pillow, she gently pushed her fingers around my private parts, making me seize up. "Not much longer, you're pretty dilated. Now you gotta take your hair down, it's bad luck to have your hair tied up when you're giving birth."

My hands shaking, I undid my bun, and all of my crazy hair fell over my shoulders. Hair down, wearing just a robe, massively pregnant and about to give birth – I don't think anyone in my life had ever seen me this vulnerable.

But the next contraction sent all of my thoughts flying out the window. I reached out for something, anything to grab onto, and suddenly Sokka pushed his big, warm hand right into mine. I didn't have time to think – I just grabbed hold and leaned forward, my teeth clenched to hold my scream in.

"Toph, it's okay to cry, okay, baby?" Katara said.

"I – don't – cry," I said, but at that exact moment my vagina felt like it was ripping open and tears leaked out of my eyes. Sokka brushed them away and said,

"You're such a warrior."

I am, I thought. I am the greatest earthbender in the world. And this is nothing.

The next two hours were spent in excruciating agony. Katara gave me plenty of herbal remedies, but there was nothing to calm the fact that the entire lower half of my body was on fire. I spent plenty of time crying – also screaming, cussing, groaning and squeezing Sokka and Aang's hands. Katara stayed planted the entire time, steady and calming, and finally, after it felt like I'd already been through more pain than humanely possible, she said,

"Toph, you listening to me? It's time to push, honey."

"What?" I said, my voice quaking.

"It's time. Your baby is ready. We get to meet him or her soon!"

"How do I do it?" I said. "I don't know what to do, Katara!"

"Shh, shh, it's okay. Push from deep within you. Use those powerful ab and pelvic muscles. Bring them down to me."

Sokka and Aang pushed my legs back. I didn't even have time to consider the weirdness of the situation before another contraction came and Katara was screaming at me to push. So I grabbed the sheets – it was all I had – put my head down, and pushed with every ounce of strength in my body.

"Oh, my God, there's the head! Come on, baby girl, you're almost there! One big push!"

"Fuck the asshole that got me pregnant," I grunted. Beside me, Sokka nodded.

"Yeah, we know he sucks, come on, baby, one big push!"

If only to get her to shut up, I took a deep breath and pushed. Before I knew it, something slid out of me, and a baby's cries filled the room.

"It's a girl!" Katara screamed. Aang clapped, Sokka sighed and I laid blankly in the bed.

"A girl?" I whispered. I could hear Katara cleaning her off, the cries still filling the room.

"What – what does she look like?" I whispered.

"Oh, Toph," Sokka said, as he leaned over, "she's absolutely gorgeous."

"See for yourself," Katara said. And before I knew it, a tiny bundled baby was placed in my arms. My tiny bundled baby.

She cried and cried, and I ran my fingers over her soft, soft skin. After a few moments of me holding tight to her, she quieted down and started gurgling. I pushed back the blanket and felt her tiny, perfect fingers. I brushed over her eyes and felt her small, soft eyelashes.

"What color is her hair?" I asked.

"It's black," Katara said. "Just like her mama's."

I knew what color black was. "And…her eyes?"

"They're green."

"What…what color is green?"

For a moment they paused to consider, and then Aang said, "Green is the smell of new grass. It's a nice hug on a warm summer's day. It's the color of a new day."

"So green is a pretty color?"

"The prettiest of all," Katara said. "Your eyes are green too. Just a very light green."

"So you look like mama, do you, little one?" I asked down to her. She put her little hands up and touched my face. I giggled.

"I'm gonna call you Lin," I said. "Because I can't think of a more beautiful little girl."

Everyone was quiet, but I could almost hear them smiling. I looked up and roved my eyes around the group, searching out the next voice. "So who's gonna hold her first?"

Katara ended up winning, much to her delight. By the time Kya and Bumi were let into the room and held the baby, little Lin was sleeping peacefully. That first night was the best one I would have in a long time. Lin and I napped beside each other in the big bed (once we'd changed the sheets), and when I woke up she was next to me, stretching her little hands up to the sky and making little gurgles.

It was the second night, back at home, that killed me.

"Come on, kiddo, why won't you stop crying?" I begged her, as she lay in the bassinette, screaming her little lungs out. "Mama's tried everything!"

I picked her up and bounced her around, but her screams pierced my ear. I dropped her back in the bassinette and ran to the phone.

"Hello?" Katara said, her voice grumpy.

"Katara! It's me!"

"Toph? What's wrong? Is Lin okay?"

"She won't stop crying! I don't know what to do!"

Katara sighed. "Is her diaper wet?"

"No, I checked that."

"Well, maybe she's hungry."

"But I fed her a couple of hours ago!"

"Newborns need to eat all the time," she said patiently.

"But I'm all out of those bottles of formula you gave me!"

"Well, then, you have to breastfeed her."

My hand shot up to my boobs. Was that why they were so tender? "How do I do that?"

"Lin knows what to do. Just let her get close to the nipple and she should do the rest."

"Katara, that's _gross_."

"Well, that's the only way to feed her."

"But what happens if she won't stop crying after that? Maybe if you came – "

"Toph," she said firmly, "you're her mother. Right now, all she wants is you. Now it's three in the morning. I'm going back to bed."

The phone hung up. I sighed and turned back to the crying. I stood over the bassinette and said,

"Just you and me, little one. Are you hungry?"

She just kept crying. I groaned and picked her up. I settled down in my comfiest chair, grabbed a blanket, and settled Lin down in my arm. Then, with no idea what to do, I pulled down my nightdress and moved Lin close to my breast. After a few moments of crying, she suddenly realized where she was, and latched on to my nipple. It was the strangest feeling in the world, but the lack of crying was amazing to my ears.

"Well, I guess I've always wondered what my boobs were good for," I said, as she continued to eat. I began to rock back and forth, wondering if this was what my mother did for me when I was a child. It almost made me want to call her for advice.

When she was done eating, I put my dress back on and settled Lin on my shoulder. I tapped her back like I'd heard Katara doing with Tenzin, and sure enough, after a minute or so, she gave a little burp. I laughed.

"Nice one, Linny."

Then I bundled the blanket back up and waited for her to go to sleep. But when I touched her face, I saw that her eyes were wide open, and her little hands were reaching up towards me.

"Why won't you go to sleep?" I asked. "I'm freaking _exhausted_."

She just giggled.

"Oh, you wanna make my life miserable? Is that it?" Suddenly an idea popped into my head. "Do you want me to sing to you?"

She settled down in my arms like she was waiting for me to start.

The big empty house was strange for me. I cleared my throat and said nervously, "This song is from my home, in the Earth Kingdom. My mom used to sing it to me when I had nightmares. One day…one day I'll take you to the Earth Kingdom. We'll go there together and you can tell me what it looks like."

Then, in my softest voice, I sang;

_High in the mountains,_

_Where Gaolin sleeps,_

_I will sing you a song_

_Of caverns deep_

_Of blankets of grass_

_And clouds so high_

_Whisper to you_

_And tell you to fly_

_Fly home, little one_

_The mountains are calling_

_The wind and the trees_

_And the leaves that are falling_

_Fly home to mama_

_Fly home to Gaolin_

_Where I'll sing you a song_

_Of sweet baby Lin_

I made up the last part, but it worked. When I touched her face, her eyes were closed, and her breathing deep and rhythmic. I placed my fingers on her chest and felt her soft, tiny heartbeat, like a butterfly's wings.

"You're just gonna drive me crazy, aren't you?" I whispered. "Mama's little troublemaker. But listen to that heartbeat…it's so sweet. Who would have known that a cutie like you could come out of a tomboy like me?"

Lin continued to snooze, and I bent down and placed a kiss on her forehead.

"My little badgermole."

* * *

**Awww! Well I hope you enjoyed the longer chapter; I certainly had fun writing it. I'm still entirely unsure of how long this story should be; I guess we'll get through saving Lin and take it from there! Thanks for all the support, you guys rock my world. Please Review! Three days till Christmas - PVB**


	5. Fire Wisdom

**Chapter Five - Fire Wisdom**

* * *

Sokka managed to convince me that running around Republic City in the middle of the night wasn't going to bring Lin back, and after a few nights of forced calming with Katara and Aang, I went back into work ready to find Lin without resorting to vigilante justice. But the truth of the matter was that there were still no leads for my daughter, and I was getting desperate.

But help always comes in the most unexpected ways.

"Chief Beifong?" My secretary said, one day.

"Yeah?" I said. I was on the phone dealing with a case other than my missing daughter, for which I was very proud.

"The, uh…the Fire Lord is here to see you." Her voice sounded completely shocked that the Fire Lord was in Republic City.

"Oh," I said, "send him in."

I hung up the phone and stood up with a grin. After a moment, the heavy thuds of Zuko came into the room, and a deep voice said,

"Well, if it isn't the Chief."

"Oh, please, Sparky, call me Toph," I said, walking over to give him a hug. "Don't think I'm gonna treat you any different just cause you're all high-and-mighty now."

"I expect nothing less," he said with a laugh. Then his voice became serious. "Toph, I heard about your daughter. I'm so sorry."

I hung my head. "Thanks. We're at kind of a standstill though. We have no idea where she is."

"Well, I might be able to help with that."

My head snapped up. "What?"

"Sokka told me right away what happened," he said, sitting down in the chair in front of my desk. "It just so happens that the description of the man who took your daughter matches the description of a very dangerous criminal that we've been hunting for several months. We believe we know where he's hiding, but since it's on the border between Republic City and the Fire Nation we haven't been able to pursue him. However, once I heard about Lin, I figured out that it was him immediately. I came as fast as I could. I'm here to help you take him on, if you'll let me come with you."

I sat down to process this information. "Who is this man? How come you've been hunting him?"

"His name is Ranjin. He's an enigma, an earthbender born to Fire Nation parents. We think that a lifetime of bullying because of his earthbending made him act out and seek out violence. His latest major crime – the reason why we're hunting him – is because he tried to break Azula out of prison."

"No," I gasped.

"Yes," he said. "The attempt was unsuccessful, thank God, but we managed to track him and have been after him ever since."

"And you believe you know where he is?"

"Reasonably certain. He's about 200 miles out of Republic City, way out in the boonies."

I took a deep breath. "And Mai is taking care of the Fire Nation?"

"Her and my daughter Zabina, yes."

"Alright. I'm going to call Aang. We'll regroup with Katara and Sokka. And then tonight, we ride."

* * *

***Lin's POV***

For the first time in my life, I knew how my mother felt.

Ever since being captured at school, I was kept in complete darkness. They put a blindfold on me while they drove me far, far outside of Republic City, so far that I stopped crying and simply started sleeping. They only took the blindfold off of me after locking me in some sort of cage, with thick wood bars. The room was dark and cold, except for one solitary lightbulb from the ceiling. When my eyes adjusted, I saw a group of eight men, all standing around the room and looking down at me. I had never felt so small in my life.

"So," said one of them, who appeared to be the leader, "you're little miss Lin Beifong."

Gathering all my strength, I said, "Yes, I am."

He leaned forward to look at me. He was a strange-looking man, with pale skin like mine, but gold eyes like he was from the Fire Nation. "Daughter of Toph Beifong."

"Yes," I said, "and she's gonna kick your ass when she finds out that you took me."

He let out a roaring laugh. "You've got some bite to you. I like that. Well, Miss Lin, nobody's ass needs to get kicked. If you give me what I want, then we'll send you back to your mother, no harm done."

"What do you want?" I asked.

He leaned in, and once again those golden eyes gleamed at me. "Do you know how to metalbend?" He whispered.

My first reaction was to snap, "Of course I know how to metalbend, what kind of Beifong do you think I am?" But I realized that this was the one card I had to play, so instead I said,

"Why do you care?"

"Oh, my reasons are my own, little one," he said. "Don't concern yourself with the thoughts of grownups. All I need to know is whether you possess the knowledge of how to metalbend."

I weighed my options in my mind, and finally said, "Well, you're out of luck. My mother said I wasn't old enough to know metalbending yet. She never taught me."

The man stood up and ran his tongue over his teeth. It gave me shivers. "She didn't, did she. Well, that's too bad." He looked around to his henchmen. "Gentlemen?"

Like actors on cue, they picked up a long poker and went to the corner. As I heard one of them making a fire, the man continued to stare down at me.

"What's your name?" I asked.

"Ranjin," he said. "Pleasure to meet you, little Beifong."

"What do you want with me?"

"I already told you. I need to learn the secret of metalbending."

"But I don't know how to!"

"Really?" He said. He reached out his hand and one of them handed the poker to him, its point white-hot. Then he stuck it between the bars of my cage and right up to my body. I scuttled back into the corner, feeling the heat singe my skin.

"Then bending this poker away from you shouldn't be a problem," he said, his voice calculating.

I was frozen, staring at the dangerously hot poker coming towards me. With every second, he moved it closer to where I was huddled in the corner. It would be at my arm in a minute.

"It's simple," he said, "just bend the poker away from you…then no one will hurt you…"

I wanted to stay strong. My mother taught me to stay strong.

But at the last moment, when it was an instant away from my skin, I panicked. I reached out a hand and bent the earth contained in the metal. The poker turned in on itself, the hot part aimed away from me.

A victorious grin spread over Ranjin's face.

"There's my little Beifong," he whispered.

I sat in the corner and glared at him with all the strength in my green eyes.

"Tell me how," he growled.

"I won't! You have to be a member of my mother's metalbending school to learn! Only she can teach you, and I won't tell you the secret! You can't torture me with metal!"

"Oh, there are plenty of other ways to torture you, little one," he growled.

"You wouldn't torture a little girl," I said, noticing the touch of desperation in my voice.

He looked down on me with those gold eyes and finally said, "Not yet, I won't. But my patience won't last forever. No food or water for the next couple of days – let's see how your stamina holds out then."

He turned to head out and stopped on the stairs. Almost like an afterthought, he added,

"Besides, if you don't talk, then your esteemed mother will come looking for you, and if your life is on the line I'm sure she'll talk. It's like going to the market for an apple and coming back with a watermelon, don't you agree?

"Turn out the light," he said to his henchmen, as he ascended the stairs. "Let's see if our little girl is scared of the dark."

The light clicked off, and as the men's boots finally clunked up the stairs, the door was closed, and I was plunged into complete darkness. The thought of no food or water suddenly clutched at my stomach, and I curled up on my side.

"Come on, mama," I whispered, "hurry up and kick their asses."

* * *

**Hey guys! Hope everyone had an excellent Christmas/Holiday Season! We continue with the saga of poor Lin and Toph. Next chapter - a little sprinkling of Tokka :) Please review! Thank you! - PVB**


	6. Old Flames

**Chapter Six - Old Flames**

* * *

We headed out shortly before sunset, when the air was cool. Katara, Aang, Sokka, Zuko and I clamored up on Appa, who was old but still up for the ride. Sokka, as always, had the map ready, and we rode out, all of us armed to the teeth.

I was expecting a tense Appa ride, but since Zuko hadn't seen anybody in a while, we spent some time catching up. We all told stories of the Hundred Years' War, the way that Katara and Zuko took down Azula, Aang's final fight with Ozai. We even talked about Sokka's invasion of Ba Sing Se and my metalbending on the Fire Nation war balloons. I almost wished I had a good glass of sake to accompany the gossip, as the crisp night air flew by us and Appa's fur felt soft beneath my fingers.

Unfortunately though, the talk turned to children. Aang and Katara wanted to hear about Zuko's children – Zabina, the oldest, and little Ezuno, the young boy. Zuko's voice filled with pride as he talked about how proud he was of his children – not just their firebending, but the good values that they'd learned from their Uncle Iroh. Then, of course, Aang and Katara had to jump in, bragging about Kya (an amazing waterbender and healer), Tenzin (already an airbending master) and Bumi (crazy, but kind of a genius). My voice died in my throat and I found myself sinking down against the sides of Appa's saddle. Surprisingly, I felt a tall body slid beside me.

"I'm sorry," Sokka murmured, "this conversation must be hard for you."

I shrugged. "I mean, yeah, but I'm not gonna stop anyone from talking about their kids. I'd be bragging about Lin with the rest of them if it didn't make me tear up like a pussy." I paused. "You know she can already metalbend her way out of a steel box?"

"You locked her in a steel box?"

"Well, yeah. Gotta make sure she can take care of herself," I said. "But I'm sure the bastards who took her were smart enough to think about that." I sighed. "She can almost beat me in a fight, and she's only ten years old."

"Almost," Sokka said. I could hear the smile in his voice. It finally made my lips twitch up.

"Come on, ponytail boy. You know I'm the best."

"Oh no, don't worry, you've been telling me that since you were twelve. It's been drilled into me. Chief Beifong," he added.

I rolled my eyes. "Sometimes I'd really just rather people call me Toph, you know? Beifong reminds me of my family back in Gaolin. If I could I'd change my name to something that was uniquely me, nothing that links me back to them. They didn't put me where I am. I did, all by myself."

"I know, Toph," he said, and I started when a hand suddenly slid into mine. Up here, on Appa's fur, I was completely blind. I had no idea what Sokka was going to do next. "Maybe if that asshole had stayed with you, you'd have your own last name by now."

I let out a barking laugh. "Maru? Haven't thought about that dick in years. He hasn't done shit for me and my daughter. Even if he did, I wouldn't take his name. He's the reason I had her in the first place, since his dumbass didn't wear a condom. There's…uh…" I found my words suddenly stilled in my throat, but the beautiful night air edged me on. "There's only one guy whose last name I might have ever taken."

"Yeah?" Sokka said, his voice soft. "Who's?"

I turned to where his voice was coming from and tried to rove his face with my sightless eyes. "Oh, you know who, Snoozles," I murmured.

He squeezed my hand.

"What did happen to you and Suki?" I asked. The conversation between the other three was still in full force, giving us some privacy.

I heard him give a deep sigh. "I don't really know. I mean, we were doing great for a while, but it was just…I mean, I wanted to live in Republic City, and after I became a Councilman, I had to. But she always had that wanderlust about her, you know? She wasn't happy settling down. I mean, she tried. Because she, uh…I mean, she loved me. I loved her. But when I wanted children, she said…she wanted to settle her family on Kyoshi Island, where she had grown up. But I felt that I couldn't leave Republic City. So we…just decided to take a break. I mean, I don't know if we're together or not. She's incredible, and I wish her all the best. I just…" I heard his breath catch as he tried to sort out the words. "I just wish we would have gotten our shit together and had kids. Because I feel that it's too late now. And that's something I always envied Katara and Aang. And you, for that matter."

I hadn't heard him talk like this in a long time. I plucked up my courage – so plentiful when I was fighting criminals, so fleeting when I talked to men – and said,

"Well, if it's any consolation, Lin has always thought of you as a father. She looks up to you a lot."

"Does she really? That makes me feel good. I've always treated her just like my nieces and nephews. She and Tenzin grew up so close."

I laughed a little. "Oh, Tenzin's got a crush on her, for sure. I've raised a little heartbreaker."

Sokka laughed and we descended into silence. I noticed that we were still holding hands, and for some reason I didn't pull away.

"Sokka," I said, finally finding voice to all of my deep fears, "if I don't find her…if something happened to her…I swear…"

"I know, Toph."

"She is my _everything_. My whole adult life, it's been me and that girl, taking on the world together. She is the absolute best of me. And without her…I mean, I just…"

"Shh," he said, his voice so soft. "We're gonna find her. I promise."

Everyone else was suddenly listening in. I heard the silence, save for the sound of the wind.

"Toph? We got your back," Katara said.

"We're all here," Aang said, and I heard Zuko nod.

I took a deep breath and said, "Thanks, guys. It really means a lot. Also makes me feel better, cause nothing has ever been able to stop Team Avatar.

"That having been said, I wanna say something about when we find these guys. I'm assuming there'll be a couple of henchmen, and that they'll put up a fight. I'll appreciate everyone's help getting rid of those bozos. But when I find Ranjin…when I find the man who took my daughter…"

I gave a quick, low laugh that reminded me of Azula. "That fucker is _mine_."

Everyone nodded, and even Appa gave a low growl, which made me wonder, not for the first time, how smart that bison was. We rode in silence for a few more minutes until Sokka said,

"There they are."

Everyone clamored to look over the side of Appa, with Zuko helpfully saying,

"There's a fire coming up from what looks a cave in those mountains. It's exactly where we think Ranjin is."

"Alright," I said. I cracked my knuckles and stretched out my cables. "Let's bring him down."

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**Hello friends! Thank you for being patient with me as I update :) Well, we're coming up on the meat and potatoes of the story. I'm still deciding what will happen there, so continue to be patient with me. Y'all rock my world! Review review review - PVB**


	7. Saving You

**Chapter Seven - Saving You**

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We dropped down on the side of the mountain, but the cave we'd seen earlier just had a random fire burning in it. While everyone else wondered about why that could be, I looked around. As soon as my feet hit the ground I had felt the presence of an underground chamber. I felt out with my hands on the smooth rock surface.

"I can't find a door," Sokka said.

"That's cause there isn't one," I said. I planted my feet and pulled the rock apart with my fingers, exposing a passageway.

"They're down here," I said, hurrying down the hallway. "I definitely hear heartbeats."

The thought that my daughter might be down here made me feel like a fire was rising up in my very blood. We ran silently down a set of twisting passages, the heartbeats my feet were picking up growing louder and louder.

Finally we came to a metal door. My breathing was shallow and fast. I turned to the others.

"Ready?" I whispered.

I heard them all nod. I took a deep breath and ripped the metal doors off their hinges.

The nine men who were inside all froze and turned to us, but my ears were concentrated on something else – the panicked breathing of a ten-year-old girl, sitting in the corner in some kind of cage.

My daughter.

"Mom," Lin whispered.

The five of us piled into the room and I said loudly,

"You give me my daughter, and we'll make this quick."

One of the men stepped forward, and I could hear the smile in his voice. "We meet at last, Chief Beifong."

I slammed my foot down, encasing him in a pyramid, but he slashed his hand and jumped out. I got in my stance and prepared to slam him down, but he called out,

"Hold it, Beifong. I've got a sharp wooden stake to your daughter's heart."

I looked. He did. I stood up and took a breath.

"Keep calm, Linny. Mama's got this."

"I know," she said, only the slightest tremor in her voice. Damn, that girl was a trooper.

"Alright, asshole, I guess you didn't get the previous message, but I'm not really up for negotiating here. But I'm feeling nice today, so how about this – you give me Lin now, or I will sentence you to a life in prison instead of killing you where you stand," I said calmly.

"That's not going to happen, Chief Beifong," the man – I assumed he was Ranjin – said. "You're not in a position to negotiate here."

"Oh, really?" I said, a touch of maniacal laughter in my voice. "I'm sorry, maybe introductions are in order. I'm Toph Beifong, _Chief_ of Republic City police. I _invented_ metalbending. This is Sokka, and he's pretty beastly with a sword. This is Katara, a waterbending _master_. This is Zuko. He's the _Fire Lord_. And this is Aang. Maybe you've never heard of him, in which case I feel sorry for you. But he's the fucking _Avatar_. And all of us are prepared to do unspeakable things in order to get Lin back. Now who's in a position to negotiate?"

I could hear the rest of the men's heartrates spike and their temperatures rise as they clearly shat their pants in fear. But Ranjin had only the slightest heart elevation as he said in a level voice,

"You give me what I want, and I'll give you what you want."

I sighed. "For the sake of argument, what do you want?"

"The secret of metalbending," he said, his voice low. "The knowledge of how to make every building in Republic City into a weapon."

I was in a hostage situation. My daughter's life was on the line. The five most powerful people in the world were together for the first time in years.

But still I snorted in laughter.

"Seriously? You want the secret to metalbending? That's it? Jesus Christ, it's not like it's _hard_ to figure out. I got it when I was twelve."

"Then tell me!" He snarled.

"After you've just confessed to wanting to use Republic City's buildings as weapons? No, thank you. But I will be taking my daughter back now. Team Avatar, NOW!"

A rock shot up and knocked back the wooden stake as the five of us leapt into action. Katara whipped water out and proceeded to cut apart some of the men, as Sokka ran through, making damage with his sword. Heat seared through the air as Zuko shot flame after flame, and Aang was casually throwing men against the wall with his airbending.

I kept my feet open to Lin, but a couple of them had come forward to battle with me, and it still took all of thirty seconds to deal with them. By that time I felt that Ranjin had grabbed Lin and ran off through the tunnels.

"Oh no you don't," I hissed, taking off after them at a sprint. I felt him twist and turn as the walls around me closed in, and with a push of my fists all of the rock in front of him fell down in a landslide, blocking him off. He raised his hands upward and raised himself on a column to the surface, and I followed suit.

Out in the night air, I stomped my foot and surrounded him with an eight-foot-high wall. He earthbended out of it and finally ran to a high ground, where I suddenly heard Lin whimper.

"I've got a sharp wood sword, Chief," he called, "and your little girl by the hair."

I froze. "Don't you dare hurt her," I growled.

"Tell me what I want to know."

I began thinking quickly. Katara and Aang were coming up from behind him, and Sokka and Zuko behind me. I prayed they were smart enough to keep their mouths shut until the right time.

"Okay," I said slowly, "I can't tell you the secret, but I can show you. Do you have any metal on you?"

His heartrate escalated and he pulled out a metal sword, keeping the wooden sword to Lin's heart.

"Well, come closer, dipshit," I said. "I can't show you from over there."

"What do I do with the girl?" he said.

"Why are you asking me? Bring her, for shit's sake."

Slowly, he began easing his way towards me, pushing Lin with his knee and keeping the other sword out towards me. I felt the others beginning to close in, as well as his men struggling to get to the surface, but thankfully the world was quiet, allowing me to plan perfectly.

"Here," he said, "here's my sword. How do I do it?"

Oh, shit. I was close enough to feel the sword now. The metal was extremely pure steel – barely a hint of earth in it. My own heart began to pound off the chart. I'd never bent a metal so pure before, and certainly not without touching it. Oh, my God.

"Well?" He said. "How do I do it?"

I worked hard to keep my voice steady. "Okay. Well, first you need to get the metal extremely hot."

"Why?"

"It bends easier, obviously," I said. "You can firebend, can't you?"

"A little…"

"Then bend it. Get it white-hot."

I was talking out of my ass, and Lin was smart enough to keep quiet. I felt him concentrate as the metal suddenly heated up, the heat reaching me even from a few feet away. The heat was searing Lin, so I had to do it now. I reached out with all my power.

"Now close your eyes," I said. "Concentrate on the sword."

He closed his eyes, and I did the same. The whole world was hanging on a breath. I thought of Lin's face and knew that I didn't have a choice.

I gave a push of energy and bent the white-hot sword straight into his chest.

He screamed and dropped to the ground, and Lin broke free and ran straight into my arms. The other four leapt into action and subdued the rest of the thugs, but it didn't matter.

Her hair brushed against my cheek. Her soft smell, like the clean dirt after a rainstorm, filled my nose. I shuddered as I held her close to me.

"I knew you would come, Mama," she whispered.

"Always, my little badgermole," I whispered. "I will always be here to save you. I love you more than life itself."

The other four came up and fell on top of us, and surrounded by love, holding my daughter close, I let myself cry.

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**Yaaaay! Lin's back! I'm sorry it took me so long, this chapter was harder to plan than I thought. Anyway, thank you so much for all of your great reviews! I really appreciate them :) How much longer do you want this story to be? Cause I can finish it up next chapter, or we can keep going if you guys want. Please let me know! Reviewreviewreview! Hugs - PVB**


	8. Prodigy

**Hey guys! Sorry it took me so long to update – I was kind of figuring out what I wanted to do with this story. I was thinking that instead of doing any kind of plot, that I would just do drabbles of Toph, Lin and the Gaang while Lin is growing up, both before and after the events of the previous chapters :) That way, I can kind of update when I need to and you guys don't have to worry about me not updating for forever haha. Alright, so this first chapter is about the first time that Lin earthbends! Enjoy!**

**Chapter Eight - Prodigy**

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The phone rang and rang. I rolled my eyes and continued to play with my space earth. Finally, the phone stopped and the answering machine kicked in.

"It's Chief Beifong. Tell me what you want." _Beep._

"Chief! Where are you? There's a mountain of paperwork to do here! Your secretary is about to have a hernia! Come in as soon as you get this! We have meetings to attend to – "

"Oh, yeah, that's totally what I want to do with my day off," I said out loud. Just as the answering machine shut off, a high-pitched crying resounded through the house.

"That's right, baby, you tell those meanies to shut the fuck up." I hauled myself to my feet and trundled off down the house to Lin's room. "Mama's all yours today."

Lin was standing up in her crib, crying her tiny lungs out. I smiled and picked her up under the arms, swinging her around to rest on my hip. "Had a good nap, little one?"

Lin kept crying and stuck her face in my chest.

"Still sleepy?" I felt around on the dresser until I came upon the binky, which Lin took gratefully. She had four teeth coming in, which made her grumpier than usual. "Wanna go outside?"

She gurgled something that sounded like 'mama', so I took it as a yes and walked out into our extensive backyard. The sun felt so good on my skin, and once again I was glad that I picked today to take one of my paid vacation days. Lin was almost a year old, and I was starting to get paranoid about not spending enough time with her. She was growing so fast – Aang said she was bigger than any of his kids when they were this age. It could be that she had enough baby fat to last her without food for a week.

Lin peeked out from my boobs when I sat down on the grass. She put her hands on my chest and pushed herself up, pulling my hair in the process. This fascinated her – I never wore my hair down, so that preoccupied her for a few minutes. I sat there and smiled. God, I loved these moments. Whenever I could just be with my daughter.

"Rock!" She said. As expected, this was one of the few words that she actually knew. "Rock! Mama! Rock!"

"What? You want me to throw you?"

"ROCK ROCK ROCK ROCK!"

"Okay, Jesus, calm down." I sat her down on the ground and earthbent out a little boulder for her to sit on. I sent it hovering into the air, which made her squeal.

"Rock rock rock!"

"Okay – wheee!" With a flick of my finger, the rock jumped into the air and came back down. Lin screamed her little baby lungs out and then giggled furiously.

"Rock rock mama rock!"

"Wheee!"

Her screams of delight were so damn cute.

"MAMAMAMAMAMAMAMAMA!"

"WHEEE!"

After about ten minutes, both of us were dying of laughter, and the sun was making me sweat. "One second, baby, I gotta put my hair up," I told her.

"Rock rock rock mama!"

"Just a second, Linny." I found a headband in my pants and began the process of putting my hair up into a bun. Lin pouted and started crying, now that she was grounded.

But the rock suddenly flew into the air.

I froze.

Lin came back to earth, squealing. "Rooooooock!"

"Lin…oh my God…what did you just – "

"_Rooooock!_"

There was no way. She was way too young. I didn't earthbend until I was six. Lin was only one. There was no way –

"Lin, baby, listen…do it again. Do rock again. Do rock again."

She just squealed. Ugh, why couldn't babies understand you? I didn't mind the shit, the drool, the vomit, I just wanted her to understand me.

"Baby, listen. Rock. _Rock_."

"ROCK!" And she launched herself into the air, way too high for my motherly comfort zone. When she and the rock landed back down, Lin absolutely cracking up, I immediately scooped her up. Oh, my God – oh, my God –

"You're an earthbender!" I said, holding her up. She reached her little fingers to my face. "Baby, you're an earthbender! I knew it! Aah, Linny, I'm so proud!"

Lin screamed, "Rock!"

"Yes, rock, you crazy little munchkin! Rock, rock, rock. You are going to have a long relationship with rocks."

"ROCK!"

"Okay, I need to teach you some new words," I said. She squealed and put her hands on my face. "Come on, sugar. We gotta tell Uncle Twinkletoes and Aunty Kat. I gotta brag about you. None of _their_ kids started bending this early…"

"Mama!"

"Badgermole!" I reached over and kissed her nose, which made her giggle.

"Mama is so proud of you."

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**Awww baby! Anyway, tell me what you think/scenes you want me to do, whatever :) Thanks for reading! - PVB**


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